Acknowledging parenthood of your child in the Netherlands

Are you having a child, and you and the birth mother are not married or in a civil partnership? You, as a father or the female partner of a birth mother, can become a legal parent if you officially acknowledge parenthood of that child. This can be done free of charge through your municipality.

Acknowledging parenthood of a child as the father

Are you a man who is married or formed a civil partnership with the birth mother of your child? Then you do not need to formally acknowledge parenthood of the child, as you will automatically be recorded as the legal father. This applies even if you are not the biological father of the child.

Acknowledging parenthood of a child as the female partner of the birth mother

Are you a woman who is married to, or in a civil partnership with, the birth mother? If so, you do not need to acknowledge parenthood if you used an anonymous sperm donor for the pregnancy. As the female partner of the birth mother, you will automatically be considered the child’s mother. However, you do need to prove, when registering the birth, that the sperm donor is not known to you.

Did you use a sperm donor who is known to you? If so, the female partner of the birth mother will not automatically be considered the child’s mother. In this case, you will have to acknowledge parenthood of the child yourself. This is the case even if you are married to, or in a civil partnership with, the birth mother.

Acknowledging parenthood of a child is subject to the following conditions:

you are at least 16 years old;
the birth mother has given her consent if the child is under the age of 16;
you cannot acknowledge parenthood of a child if you are not permitted to marry the birth mother, for example because you are a close blood relative of hers;
there must not already be 2 parents. Has the child been adopted by the birth mother’s female partner, for example? If so, the biological father will no longer be able to acknowledge parenthood of that child.
Have you been placed under a conservatorship (in Dutch) on account of your physical or mental state? If so, you will first need to obtain authorisation from the regional court.

Acknowledging parenthood of a child during pregnancy

You can acknowledge parenthood of a child in any municipality in the Netherlands if they have not yet been born. This is referred to as acknowledging parenthood of an unborn child (erkenning van de ongeboren vrucht).

Will the expectant mother not be present when you acknowledge parenthood of your child? If so, she must give her written consent to the acknowledgement.

Is your partner expecting a multiple birth? If so, the acknowledgement applies to all the children with whom your partner is pregnant at that time.

Acknowledging parenthood of a child when registering the birth

You can acknowledge parenthood when you register the birth. You register the birth in the municipality where the child was born.

Will the expectant mother not be present when you acknowledge parenthood? If so, she must give her written consent to the official recognition.

Acknowledging parenthood of a child after registration of the birth

You can also acknowledge parenthood of a child if they are already older, or even an adult. You can do this in any municipality in the Netherlands.

Is your child over the age of 12? If so, you will need written consent from the child and their birth mother. If the child is over the age of 16, only the child’s consent is required.

You must acknowledge parenthood of each child separately. This includes a second or subsequent child from a relationship. This does not happen automatically, unless you were married or in a civil partnership prior to the birth.
When acknowledging parenthood of the first child officially, you choose whose surname the child will have: the birth mother’s or yours. All subsequent children from the same relationship are automatically given the same surname as the first child.

Was the child legally acknowledged before 1 January 2023? Then the parents do have to apply to the district court for joint custody.
When acknowledging a child if not married or in a civil partnership with the birth mother after 1 January 2023 then you will automatically be granted joint custody (in Dutch). There are exceptions (in Dutch) such as when acknowledging the child you both declare that the birth mother is granted sole custody.

This is how it works for you

Your (future) place of residence falls under:

Municipality of Goeree-Overflakkee

Here is some information from your municipality.

Recognize a child and choose a name

If you are not automatically the legal parent of a child, you can acknowledge a child. You can also choose which surname the child will receive. You personally visit the municipality for this.

Description

You automatically become the legal parent if you have a registered partnership or are married to the mother of the child. Otherwise you can acknowledge the child at the municipality. You will then still become the legal parent. You must also acknowledge each subsequent child separately. That is not automatic. You can acknowledge a child before the birth, at the birth registration or after the birth registration.

Are you not married and do you not have a registered partnership? In that case, the child will automatically be given the name of the biological mother when registering the birth. If you acknowledge the child as a father or co-mother, you can choose which surname the child will receive. The surname you choose for the first child also becomes the surname of subsequent children from the same relationship.

If you acknowledge a child, this does not mean that you also receive parental authority. You are not allowed to make any decisions for the child without parental authority. You can apply for parental authority via the website Rechtspraak.nl.

The most important conditions for recognizing a child are:

You are 16 years or older.
You are not related to the mother.
There are not already 2 parents.
If the child is older than 12 and younger than 16: the mother and the child give permission for the recognition.
If the child is older than 16: the child gives permission for the recognition.

The main conditions for choosing a name upon recognition are:

Both parents are present at the name selection.
You can only choose the surname for the first child in the relationship.

When recognizing your first child, you can choose which surname he or she will receive when registering the birth: the name of the mother or yours. If you want your child to be given your name, the mother must come with you to the municipality. Written permission from the mother is then not sufficient. You can choose to recognize the child as an unborn child before birth.

If you do not choose, the child will automatically be given the mother's last name. All subsequent children in the family will automatically have the same surname as your first child.

To recognize a child and choose a surname, you must personally go to the municipality. Do you recognize the child when registering the birth? Then you go to the municipality where the child was born. Do you recognize the child before the birth or after the birth registration? Then you can go to any municipality in the Netherlands.

How to recognize a child:

You come to the church.
Do you want to choose a surname when recognizing your first child? Then the mother must also be present.
You take with you to the municipality:
- a valid proof of identity for yourself
- a valid identity document from the mother
- written permission from the mother for the recognition, if she is not present
- written permission from the child for the recognition, if the child is older than 12 years

Recognition and name selection is free.
You can apply for a deed of recognition in the municipality where the recognition took place. A copy or extract from the civil registry costs: € 14.30.

You pay costs for applying for a deed. Contact the municipality for more information.

The acknowledgement cannot always be processed immediately. This depends on the personal situation of the child and the person acknowledging the child. For example, acknowledgement takes longer if the child was born before 1985 or if the person having the child officially recognised does not hold Dutch citizenship.

Do you disagree with the municipality's decision regarding the recognition of your child? Then file an appeal with the court.

Recognize a child and choose a name